Last Updated on December 1, 2022.
A common concern for many great parents is finding the best after school activity that will have a positive impact on their kids and help them grow into thriving adults.
This is especially tricky when your child is a preschooler. Kids at that age are usually full of energy, always jumping around and asking different questions.
Having that in mind, the best activity is the one that helps them stay physically active, but it also teaches them important life skills such as how to handle bullies and believe in themselves.
Is Martial Arts good for kids?
While most parents see Martial Arts as a sum of different movements shown in movies or the UFC, there’s more to Martial Arts than just kicking and punching.
It is an art form with a long-standing tradition that teaches the importance of building a no-quit spirit and standing for yourself while respecting others.
Martial Arts provides a safe and supportive environment where kids can learn at their own pace and progress at their own level, all while being guided by dedicated instructors.
Martial Arts stress family values and help kids build life-lasting friendships.
“Many of our students build lasting friendships by training with us,” says Sensei Pace from Tiger Schulmann’s Staten Island – Tottenville, NY .
But what are the main benefits of learning Martial Arts?
It improves focus and discipline
Have you ever tried to convince your child to just sit for a second and finish that drawing or homework?
Nowadays, with all the technological devices, parents struggle more than ever to teach their children the importance of focusing on only one thing.
While this may not be the problem for younger kids, the rules change when kids go to school.
To be successful in Martial Arts, kids need to learn to focus their attention and control their impulses. Seeing other kids paying close attention to the instructor’s movements helps them focus on their own movements.
This helps them learn another valuable lesson: results come through discipline.
You can master one move, but to be successful, you need to practice and master all the movements.
It helps develop a positive self-image
In some other sports, kids may spend the whole class sitting on a bench waiting for their turn to get in the game, but in Martial Arts, everyone participates. Being a part of the team while working at your own pace motivates kids to continue learning without the pressure of competing with others.
In each class, kids learn new movements and improve the old ones. There is no room for boredom because the sense of accomplishment that comes with learning new skills is very empowering for kids and helps them develop a positive self-image.
Therefore, the focus is always on self-improvement.
Working hard toward their goals while getting appreciation from their Sensei or their family will boost their self-esteem and motivate them to work harder in other areas of their life.
Making mistakes in a safe training environment helps kids become familiar with their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, they learn to control their emotions all while paying attention to others as well.
Anti-bullying
Every parent’s worst fear is that someone will hurt or attack their child.
But what every parent knows, even though they want to protect their kids at all costs, they can’t.
The best way to protect your kids is to teach them to defend themselves.
While bullying is a serious problem (we covered it here), there are some things we can do to protect our kids.
To stop a bully, a child must have the self-confidence to stand up for himself.
However, we can’t ask them just to be confident or act confident. Self-confidence is built through the feeling that we can protect ourselves in every situation.
The philosophy here at Tiger Schulmann’s is to give children the tools they need to defend themselves against a physical confrontation so that they don’t have to.
When children can protect themselves, they feel secure. They won’t be physically intimidated by anyone, so they won’t be afraid to stand up to a bully when the attacks are still in the verbal stage.
Some parents have different concerns: what if Martial Arts turns my kid into a bully?
All kids train together, but not all kids have the same muscular strength. This is why
our experienced instructors teach more than different combos of kicking and punching; they stress the importance of being a good human being, respecting others, their personal space, emotions, and wishes.
Martial Arts teaches kids to strive for greatness both on and off the mat.
No-quit spirit
If we have to choose only one benefit of Martial Arts classes, that will be a no-quit spirit.
In their training, kids learn to get up immediately after falling down. They learn to push past obstacles to achieve their goals, no matter how many mistakes they make on the way.
Everything we do is directed toward this: building character and surpassing kids’ potential.
Isn’t that the best foundation for creating a happy life?
Martial Arts For kids
At Tiger Schulmann’s, we have different programs for all ages, from preschoolers to teenagers.
We teach children self-respect, focus, and how to grow into mature young men and women in a fun and safe environment while helping them realize their true potential.
For more information about the Martial Arts programs we offer to children in your area, give us a call at-1-800-52-TIGER, or find a school near you here.
